Epi and Paudi's wild West Cork East Asian vibe
Two mesmerising cooks cook up a niche within a niche
For anyone paying attention to the food scene in Cork, the names Epi Rogan and Pàdraig Nagle will be instantly familiar.
Pàdraig and Epi are the culinary duo who host various pop ups (Cork’s gone mad for pop ups). Their partnership doesn’t have a working title, nor a specific programme of events, other than wherever they pop up, they usually get asked back.
You may have met them on their regular Low Intervention Sundays at Latitude 51, where they serve natural wine, East Asian Cuisine and Wild Produce. Now, there’s a menu trio that tips off the tongue!
In their day jobs, Pàdraig is the Sous in Miyazaki Takeaway, Cork’s magical takeaway, from Takashi San, known for its well researched and authentic East Asian specials – think Tatsuta Don, Miso Cured Wild Sea Trout Chazuke with Crispy Gyoza Strips, Candied sweet satsuma potatoes. The Miyazaki Takeaway daily special is a big part of the lives of anyone in Cork because, working along with Head Chef Mike McGrath and overseen by Miyazaki, the takeout is an unbelievable gift to the city.
Epi on the other hand has been a part of two of Cork’s other most exciting restaurants, having worked as a Sous in Pilgrims, with Mark Jennings, and in Pastry for the Glass Curtain, with Brian Murray. Foraging has always been part of her culinary canon, however, and she now works also as a forager for fine dining, and has dipped a toe into the world of foraging walks.
So, just how did these two come to work together: “I would say we probably are both into very niche things!” says Epi, “I’m interested in utilising wild ingredients in fun ways. I think Pàdraig is interested in niche Japanese authentic dishes. We sort of merge those two things. East Asian cookery has highly complex and interesting flavours going on. That really suits many wild ingredients. I pick a lot of seaweeds and coastal greens and it’s nice being able to slot those ingredients into a menu relatively easily because the culture of eating this veg is so ubiquitous in East Asia.”
We know you’re asking: How does an Irishman become an expert in Japanese niche cooking?
“I do watch a lot of NHK World,” Pàdraig says, “I guess the best way to describe it is that it’s the equivalent of BBC World here but way more foodcentric. I'll just sit there watching shows, taking notes, writing down all the ingredients I see and techniques that they are using. After that it's a lot of research through cookbooks (some in only Japanese) and online to try and create the the most authentic dish I can.”
Learn from Epi and Pàdraig at Esk Mountain this weekend. Tickets here…
Is your interest piqued? Would you like to spend a day’s immersive experience on a mountain in West Cork, with an off-grid kitchen with a fire pit, and spend the day with just a few others, walking through a temperate rainforest whilst being guided to pick wild plants, making seasonal kimchi, and learn something about local wild products and Japanese-inspired techniques.
If so, act now and book one of the seats in this weekend’s Padraig and Epi at Esk Mountain for a very special one-day course. The menu will include spring rolls with hazelnut satay, courgette yakitori with rose gochujang, and plantain kimchi. There will be grilled sika cha-zuke and meadowsweet crème caramel. Bookings open now.
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I saw this event on the Esk website recently. I was exploring West Cork accommodation options before I went to Bantry last week. Sounds excellent 👌